The Hills are Green | Trekking & Exploring the wilderness in Jaipur

During trekking and hiking in Jaipur, I was astonished to witness how the topography changes during Monsoon. The Grey-brown hills transform into a lush green challenging the mighty Himalayan landscape! It’s like saying the old still has some tricks up its sleeves! If you are unaware of the context,Aravali hill range in Rajasthan is older than the Himalayas.

Jaipur is surrounded by Aravali hills which is home to the Tropical Monsoon Forest. What is Monsoon forest? Monsoon forest contrary to its name consists of dry deciduous trees which shed leaves during the long dry spell of summers. You can see how it looks in this picture.

The dry grey-brown landscape of Aravali Hills in Jaipur

Presence of moisture in the air with the arrival of monsoon, these very trees start teeming with life! A new offshoot of branches and leaves start appearing, transforming the topography of these forests.

Monsoons herald a change in the landscape with new offshoots & leaves. Aravali Hills, Jaipur

So essentially, Monsoon forest consists of trees which shed leaves soon after spring rather than autumn. It is a mechanism set by nature to conserve water in difficult and dry conditions.

The Himalayas have some competition. Aravali Hills in its full glory!

The landscape in monsoon is way too strong to keep me away from hiking in Jaipur. The lure of watching a sunrise is a big bonus! Being an avid hiker, I have spent many months in hibernation….away from trekking in Jaipur, until recently.

So earlier this week, I was back in the hills traversing through the beautiful green cover in the wilderness along with my trekking group in Jaipur. It’s not possible to undertake a Himalayan trek frequently which requires 7 to 10 days. On second thought, we have a beautiful landscape out here in Jaipur. What if it’s only for a few weeks till the Monsoon season? Let’s make the most until it lasts! There are many interesting trekking routes in Jaipur and nearby. Posting one such picture of trekking in Aravali hills.

Trekking through the trail in a forest near Jaipur

Posting another hiking picture that I recently shared on Instagram. If we are not following each other, let’s connect on Instagram.

I found on a rock on this trail. Some say these are Leopard pug marks…Really?

But who knows if it’s true? After all the hills around Jaipur are home to Leopards. In case, you don’t know thatJhalana Nature Park forest in Jaipur offers India’s first Leopard Safari. More on Jhalana Leopard Safari in Jaipur some other day!

These forests are beautiful. But they are all under immense threat. We must fight hard to protect these beautiful gifts of nature, our national natural heritage. Do you know of any organisations that works at protecting and maintaining these ancient forests?

You are right. I haven’t come across any organisation working to preserve these forests. The biggest threat to these forests is human activities. Luckily some of these are notified forest lands and being in the midst of hills has at least prevented humans to build dwelling units.